Croatia: Veterans and war victims protest film

25 January 2018

Photo: Ministry of Love trailer screenshot/Vimeo

Croatian National Broadcaster HRT 2 temporarily removed, then later postponed, the broadcast of Pavo Marinković’s film “Ministry of Love” due to protests in front of the station by a war victims, veterans, and widowers. The film was originally scheduled for broadcast on 4 January 2018, then rescheduled to 11 January, and finally has its time slot pushed from 21:00 to 23:30, reported Film New Europe and local news portal Tportal.

Protesters asked station management to remove the film since “it was insulting not only for widows, but for the homeland war and honour and dignity of the Croatian state”. They received support from right wing circles—particularly from former minister of culture Zlatko Hasanbegović and minister of Croatian veterans Tomo Medved, who publically called for the film ban.

The comedic film tells the stories of widows of fallen soldiers who live in new relationships, but remain unmarried in order to keep receiving military pensions. The film has enjoyed success at festivals and in local cinemas, winning several awards.